


By Dawn's Early Light

by RiddlePanda



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Craig's mentioned but not actually in the fic, Gen, Told mainly in Tweek's mom's POV, warning for death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 17:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13416189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiddlePanda/pseuds/RiddlePanda
Summary: She was happy their last words to each other were ones of love.





	By Dawn's Early Light

**Author's Note:**

> Don't listen to country music. Bad things happen when you listen to country music.
> 
> There is now a Spanish translation of this story: 
> 
> [Dawn's Early Light-Spanish](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15740784)

She hardly went in the back room. There was no need to go back there. All it held was their stock and the coffee grinders. And Richard had told her that Tweek had it covered back there. Just stay at the front and take money and make coffee.

The ambient music was usually loud to offset the noises the grinders made. It was a relaxing place for people to sit and drink coffee, their idle chatter giving off a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The sound of shouting and shrieking and something breaking followed by frightened wailing broke Mrs. Tweak out her thoughts and she quickly rushed to the back room, the place she was told countless times by her husband to not go.

There was a smashed mug in the center of the room, the hot coffee that had been held in it still steaming on the floor where it spilled.

Tweek was crying in the corner of the back room, staring fearfully at Richard’s lumbering form in front of him. His left cheek was completely red and looked like it was swelling. He had his hands clutched tight to his body.

Richard took a step forward, causing the boy to let out a panicked sob and tried scooting farther in the corner.

Something snapped. Something snapped to make motherly instincts for her son push their way into ever fiber of her being. Nothing else mattered but her son. Her son was hurt. The man in front of her son hurt him. She had to get to her son.

She pushed the man out of the way, gathered her shaking and crying son in her arms, and carried him home, stroking his hair as best she could. She refused to let him go and he clung to her, her dress getting damp with his tears.

When was the last time she had heard him cry? Actually cry and it not just be one of his panic attacks? Was it really when he was a baby?

“H-Hands hurt…”

She left him sniffling on the couch as she grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen, a painful lurch in her stomach as she saw her son curled up on the couch, the side of his face already starting to grow purple in places with a clear imprint of a large hand.

His pale skin should not be red. Not with bruises, not with burns as she applied the ointment to the spots where the hot coffee had burnt him when _that man_ shoved the mug forcefully at her son. That was what he told her what happened. That he didn’t want to drink so much coffee and _that man_ wouldn’t take no for an answer.

His hands felt rough, rougher than what a ten year old’s should. She stared sadly as she ran her soft fingers on his own. They felt like adult hands.

“Mom?”

His voice was soft, sweet. Not the painful panicked shrieking he tended to do. When had that changed? When he began to spend more time with Craig?

She liked Craig. Craig helped with panic attacks and calmed her son down. Craig made her son happy. Craig made her son smile. When was the last time she had seen him smile that wasn’t Craig related?

“Would you like to go to Craig’s? Perhaps spend the weekend there?”

“Nng- What about the shop? I’m supposed to work and get-”

“I’ll handle it baby.”

Children shouldn’t be working every waking moment in the back of their parents’ workplace. They should be hanging out with their friends.

———————–

She packed his overnight bag with a few more sets of clothes than just two days worth and carefully placed what was to be found later on between Tweek’s science and math folders in his backpack. She came downstairs to find Tweek drinking the apple juice he had politely asked her to buy for him the last time she went shopping, instead of coffee like he normally would. Children drink apple juice, not coffee.

She held his bandaged hand carefully as they walked to the Tucker’s. Laura had opened the door, gasping as she saw the darkening bruise on Tweek’s cheek, instantly bending down to pull the boy into a hug, Tweek eagerly accepting it.

A pang of jealousy ran through her as she saw no hesitation in her son as he clung to the woman so easily.

“Laura, I’m sorry this is such short notice. Can Tweek stay a few days?”

The woman stood up and smiled. “Of course. He’s always welcome. We love having him here. He makes Craig so happy and Tricia adores him. I’ve even started to make sure to keep apple juice stocked in the fridge since he fell in love with it over here a couple of months ago.”

She bent down and pulled Tweek into a hug, giving him a small squeeze before pulling back and kissing him on the forehead. “Be good for the Tucker’s, okay sweetie? I love you.”

Tweek smiled and nodded before he ran upstairs. “Love you too mom!”

———————-

He was frowning at her when she returned, having closed the shop to clean the mess in the backroom.

“He was just overreacting like he-”

“Shut up.”

She pushed him hard, his body roughly hitting one of the grinders.

“Honey! What the-”

“You won’t hurt my son again.”

The broken mug labeled with their shop logo laid on the table. He had used it to hurt her son. She would use it to hurt him.

The biggest piece was picked up and jammed into Richard Tweak’s chest.

————————–

It was well after dark when she made herself a cup of her favorite blend of coffee. She inhaled deeply to really savor the aroma of the liquid. It was a good way to mask the other smell that permeated the shop.

The ambient music was loud to offset the noises the building was making as it crackled. She sat in the middle of the shop, staring out the window as she drank her coffee. The shop had a warm atmosphere as it burned around her. By the time the fire department was alerted, it would be too late. They couldn’t arrest her for murder if she was dead too.

But it was for the best. Her son was set up with the means to collect on insurance and the money they had saved back for him. She made it clear on how to do this in one of the envelopes she had placed in his backpack, along with all their important papers they kept in the safe at home.

She was leaving Tweek in good hands, much better hands than they had ever provided for him. Right now he was probably curled up with Craig in his bed, both boys asleep. Craig had helped him with his insomnia. Craig helped Tweek with a lot of things. Craig would fix what they had broke.

Her last conscious thought was she was happy their last words to each other were ones of love.


End file.
